Ornate former home of author and poet Alessandro Manzoni (1785-1873), second in Italian literature only to Dante. Several of the parquet-floored rooms, stocked with Manzoni's personal effects and early editions of his work, overlook what must be an estate agent's dream: a leafy quadrangle that serves as headquarters to Banca Commerciale on Piazza della Scala. The fire alarm is the only addition to the perfectly preserved room where Manzoni died, after falling on the steps of nearby San Fedele in 1873.